10-Day Best of Patagonia Trip Itinerary

This 10-day Patagonia trip itinerary focuses on highlights for first-timers, including Argentina’s Glaciar Perito Moreno, Chile’s Torres del Paine, and one of South America’s largest penguin colonies.

Day 1

Plan a morning arrival in Buenos Aires, leaving the afternoon free for sightseeing and the evening for a tango floor show.

Days 2-3

After breakfast, fly to El Calafate (3 hours) and take an afternoon excursion to a nearby estancia for a traditional asado (barbecue). The following morning, take a full-day excursion to the groaning, deep blue Glaciar Perito Moreno.

Days 4-5

Take a scenic morning bus trip or drive to El Chaltén (3 hours), the trekking mecca of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. With an early arrival and good weather, it’ll be a swift hike to view the glaciated needle of Cerro Torre. Spend the next morning on a full-day hike to Laguna de los Tres, with stupendous views of Cerro Fitz Roy, followed by an evening return to El Calafate.

Days 6-8

Bus to bustling Puerto Natales (5 hours), gateway to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. Stay overnight in Natales. The next day, plan on a scenic day hike in the vicinity or in the park (2 hours north), with afternoon options for short hikes or a horseback ride. The next morning, hike the short but strenuous trail to the tarns beneath the Torres themselves. In the evening, return to Puerto Natales.

Day 9

Travel across the Magellanic steppe to Punta Arenas (3 hours), with a short detour to the Magellanic penguin colony at Pingüinera Seno Otway, or, if the timing is right, ride the afternoon ferry to the larger colony on Isla Magdalena, in the Strait of Magellan. There are also quicker Zodiac trips to Isla Magdalena.

Day 10

From Punta Arenas, a morning flight to Chile’s underrated capital, Santiago (3 hours), leaves the afternoon free for sightseeing and a seafood lunch at the Mercado Central, followed by a nighttime departure. A later departure from Punta Arenas could mean time to visit that city’s exceptional Museo Regional Salesiano and then transfer directly to the international flight home.

Wayne Bernhardson

About the Author

Wayne Bernhardson first traveled to Patagonia in 1979, visiting both Chile and Argentina as far as Tierra del Fuego, “the uttermost part of the earth,” and has returned to the region almost every year since 1990. He also spent a year walking, sailing, and flying around the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and had the pleasure of revisiting them to research this book. He owns an apartment in Buenos Aires, near the Palermo botanical gardens, and spends four to five months in the “Southern Cone” countries every year.

Wayne earned his PhD in geography at the University of California, Berkeley, but abandoned academia for a perpetual Latin American road trip that many university faculty envy. He has authored other Moon guides and has written for magazines and newspapers including Trips, the San Francisco Chronicle, the American Geographical Society’s Focus, Business Traveler, Dupont Registry Tampa Bay, Postcards, National Geographic Traveler, Latin Trade, and Travel Holiday. He often gives lectures on destinations he covers in his books.

When not in South America, Wayne resides in Oakland, California, with his wife, María Laura Massolo, their daughter, Clio Bernhardson-Massolo, and their Alaskan malamute, Malbec (named for Argentina’s signature red wine).

Learn more about this author

Moon Patagonia

by Wayne Bernhardson

Your World Your Way!

Patagonia’s staggering landscapes, titanic glaciers, and rugged mountains evoke mystery and inspire self-discovery. Explore the ends of the earth with Moon Patagonia.

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$24.99

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$32.49 CAD

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Trade Paperback

1. ebook

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